LECTURE PROGRAMME 2011/12
12 October 2011 "Horses, Women and Great Country Houses : the life and loves of the first Duke of Newcastle "
William Cavendish (1st Duke of Newcastle) was the grandson of Bess of Hardwick and a playboy, poet, courtier and later civil war royalist general who built magnificent country houses including Bolsover Castle.
Lecturer : Lucy Worsley Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces, based at Hampton Court. Dr Worsley’s most recent publication is “Courtiers, The Secret History of Kensington Palace” She appears regularly on radio and television and is currently presenting her own history series on BBC4 “If walls could talk”, a history of British domestic life. Her lecture will refer to Bolsover Castle, amongst other great houses.
9 November 2011 "The Luttrell Psalter"
This celebrated manuscript, commissioned by a wealthy landowner in the first half of the 14th century, is one of the most striking to survive from the Middle Ages. Painted in rich colours embellished with gold and silver, with vitality and
sometimes bizarre
inventiveness of decoration, this manuscript is unlike virtually any other.
Lecturer : Imogen Corrigan A freelance lecturer in Anglo Saxon and Medieval History, Mrs Corrigan also runs study tours on cathedral architecture here and in France. She is fascinated by early illuminated manuscripts. Her talk on the exquisite Luttrell Psalter is new to her repertoire and will give us the privilege of detailed views of this priceless book.
14 December 2011 "Excess Baggage: the journey of the Magi from St. Matthew to the Medici "
This should be a fascinating
account of the many myths surrounding the Magi and how these developed
throughout the Middle Ages, based on studies of various biblical and apocryphal
texts combined with paintings. The scene of the
Adoration of the Magi is
central today to our image of the Christmas story. So it was a surprise to
learn that their number (from three to fourteen), names and ethnic origins were
all later additions to the biblical account.
The amazing qualities of lapis lazuli, the purity of its colour and the mystery of its origins have meant that it has been pursued through the ages as a rare and precious stone. In Byzantium the pigment was
Lecturer : Sarah Searight Historian, journalist, scholar and traveller, she has published extensive works based on her travels in the Middle East and on her knowledge of Islamic Art. This new lecture in her repertoire reflects her 2010 book “Lapis Lazuli : in pursuit of a celestial stone”
14 March 2012 "The Alderley Edge Project : From sleeping kings to cotton kings "Alderley Edge has a rich, complex history of geology, archaeology, early mining and social and natural history. The character of the village changed radically when the railway came in 1842, creating Britain's first commuter dormitory while at the same time making it accessible as a honey-pot for Manchester's city dwellers. For many people it remains a special place, and its legend of a sleeping king is still very much alive.
Lecturer : John Prag Archaeologist and classicist, former Keeper of Archaeology at Manchester Museum. Professor Prag will talk about discoveries, ancient legends, the Cheshire countryside and a Bronze Age Oak Shovel. Those who are familiar with the fiction of Alan Garner will make further connections.
Lecturer : Janet Canetty-Clarke Lecturer in Music at Sussex University and at the Universities of London and Cambridge, she also lectures for WEA and U3A. She conducts choirs at home and in Europe. In this new lecture she will use piano, CD and images to illustrate how Handel and Hogarth put their music and art at the service of Thomas Coram to help fund his Foundling Hospital.
9 May 2012 "Dream Time to Machine Time : Aboriginal Art and Culture "
Lecturer : John Benjamin Has been an independent jewellery Consultant
13 October 2010- John Ericson
"Art inspired by Wine "
An examination of paintings of wine being made and consumed in celebration since the time of Noah, together with a consideration of the beauty and creativity of wine labels. And who remembers the Ronald Searle artwork for the Oddbins catalogues? The lecture also draws upon many other images and literary quotations.
10 November 2010- Fenella Billington
"The Great Twelve: an Introduction to the Senior Livery Companies of the City of London"
The guilds were probably in existence before the Normans came, and are found not only in London, but also in other parts of the country and on the Continent.
8 December 2010- Tim Stimson
"A Dickens of a Christmas "
Tim is an artist/ceramicist and a freelance art historian - with a passion for Dickens.12 January 2011- Tim Porter
"Remembering Vaughan Williams "
This lecture is illustrated with music, focussing on the composer's early life, when all the
influences and experiences converged to form the character of the man and his music.
9 February 2011- Joanne Kidd
"The Tradescants - Plant and Art Collectors of the 17th century"
The lec
ture describes the work of the father and son team and what they achieved as plant hunters, nurserymen and garden designers. As art collectors they established an art gallery near then- home which has formed the basis for the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
16 March 2011- Dr. Twigs Way
"Art and the Garden : gardens as a symbol and setting in Art, from medieval to modern "
Gardens and plants appear in paintings of all periods and cultures. Concentrating on European art, this talk will analyse the role that gardens and plants have to play in furthering the viewer's understanding of the "story" of a painting. Just the inclusion of a particular flower, for instance, may give a painting a certain meaning often missed by the modern gallery visitor.
13 April 2011- Elizabeth Merry
"Travels in Rajasthan with Rudyard Kipling"
As a young reporter, Kipling took a trip through Rajasthan in 1888, while he was working for
the Lahore Gazette. He produced some imaginative and evocative descriptions of what he saw on his journeyings. As the son of the Principal of the Bombay Art School and a talented artist himself, he provides a special insight into Rajasthan's architectural splendours and the rich cultural history of the "Land of Kings".
11 May 2011- Matthew Williams
"Chopping up the Chiffonier: the changing taste for Victoriana "
8 June 2011- Mike Higginbottom
"Fun Palaces: The History and Architecture of the Entertainment Industry "
In pubs, theatres, cinemas and seaside buildings of all kinds, architects, designers and engineers contrived to transport
.
14 October 2009- Roger Mitchell
“Thomas Moran (1837-1926) the Turner of the American West”
Born in Lancashire, he emigrated with his family to Philadelphia, but returned to England to study Turner’s paintings. An explorer as well as an artist, he was a member of the first expedition to the Yellowstone and accompanied Powell to the Grand Canyon. His great paintings of these extraordinary places showed America for the first time the grandeur of its natural heritage, and were purchased by Congress.
There is a splendid large oil painting by Thomas Moran, entitled “Nearing Camp – Evening in the Upper Colorado River 1682” in Bolton Art Gallery
11 November 2009- Anton Gabszewicz
“Is this the real thing ? European Ceramic Fakes and Forgeries”
As Renaissance and 18th Century ceramics became more widely collected, and more valuable, fakes and copies became more interesting. The lecture will cover well known copies by Samson of Paris and Cantagalli of Florence and other less well-known “imitators”. The art of the faker still flourishes!
9 December 2009- Pamela Halford
“Unwrapping the Christmas Story: Paintings, Prose and Poetry”
In this special lecture for the festive season, Pamela Halford unwraps some of the many layers of history, custom and myth that make up Christmas – the nativity, the decorations, carols, food, presents and much more. Illustrated by well known paintings and by the words of Hardy, Kilvert, Dickens and more.
13 January 2010- Mary Yule
“Sculpture and the Landscape : British Sculpture Parks”
A visual tour of outstanding sculpture parks and gardens throughout the UK, including sculpture at Goodwood, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Little Sparta and other varied sites for sculpture in the environment. Mary Yule takes a critical look at the relationship between sculpture and landscape in many settings, rural and urban, public and private.
10 February 2010- Jonathan Hinden
“Verdi’s La Traviata – a very Italian Affair”
A non-technical and not very serious account of this masterpiece, its characters and story, with musical illustrations on the piano, focussing on the composer’s ability to express mood and character through music, and with a brief look at the circumstances and context of its composition.
10 March 2010- Chloe Cockerill
“Helms, Hatchments and Hedgehogs : Heraldry, it’s all around us”
Heraldry is all around us, wherever we look, not only in castles and cathedrals , but in country pubs, on police stations and passports, on municipal property, school uniforms and college gateways. The lecturer offers a straightforward approach to what is often dismissed as an esoteric subject.
14 April 2010- Marina Vaizey
"The Art of Photography – From Then until Now”
In the course of its evolution from the 1830s until the present, photography has become the most widely available visual art in the world. The talk deals with some of the pioneers and also with some of the leading 20th century photographers from Steiglitz to Cartier-Bresson.
12 May 2010- Tony Tucker
“Wren’s City Churches – Glorious Steeples and Hidden Treasures”
The surviving churches of Sir Christopher Wren, with their infinite variety and beauty, will be presented and celebrated in this lecture. For example, no two steeples are the same, and the interiors feature the work of the greatest craftsmen of the 17th century, stonemasons, plasterers and woodcarvers.
Tony Tucker leads regular walks for the Friends of City Churches and other organisations.
9 June 2010- Dr. Claire Walsh
“The Glamour Holiday – the Grand Era of Travel in the 1920s and 30s”
This special summer lecture looks at destinations, means of travel and holiday activities for the wealthy social elite in the 1920s and 30s, once steam trains and boats had opened up travel to a wider range of the population. The wealthy travelled by flying boat and private yacht: they climbed and skied: they flew over deserts and cruised on the Nile. All this, harnessed to the Art Deco style, made these few years the epitome of glamour.
Click here to see previous years lectures lectures 2008/9